Hair Degradation Patterns in Aquatic and Soil Environments

ABSTRACT Hair is a biological material that can provide information in archaeology and forensics. Previous studies have mainly examined changes occurring post‐mortem. In this study, we focused on hair pulled out ante‐mortem. The aim of the study was to identify patterns in the degradation of hair in water and soil. For 6 months, hair roots were examined under a microscope and photographed. A hair degradation scale was created, focusing on the brush‐like hair root. In an aquatic environment, there is potential to estimate the post‐mortem interval (PMI) based on this change. In soil, the key factor in degradation is the growth of keratinolytic and keratinophilic fungi, which are highly temperature dependent.